FUNAMBULIST ASSISTANT FUNAMBULIST ASSISTANT $400 for the right man. Nik Wallenda will walk the high wire across Niagara Falls, Friday night, June 15. If he is the man we think he is, he will strive to surpass Jean Francois Gravelot, better known as Blondin, who, on June 30, 1859, was the first to cross the Niagara on a tightrope 1100 feet long, 3¼ inches in diameter, 160 feet above the water. He crossed just below Niagara Falls. On later trips across the gorge, Blondin rode a bicycle, walked on stilts, stood on his head, pushed a stove in a wheelbarrow and cooked an omelet. He sat at a table balanced on the tightrope and ate cake and drank champagne, as thousands watched. One time he carried his manager, Harry Colcord on his back. Mr. Wallenda’s wire walk will surely be memorable and like the Great Blondin, Mr. Wallenda’s next tightrope journey over the falls will require something extra to sustain public interest. If Mr.

Wallenda were to carry a local man on his back across the Falls, this, we believe, would provide variety, give the community a boost and show the mettle of the good people of Niagara County. The entire trip is expected to take less than one hour. If you are able and willing to go, please contact the Reporter by email at info@niagarafallsreporter.com. Please no one over 275 pounds. Blondin’s first tightrope-walk across Niagara Falls | History Today Blondin’s first tightrope-walk across Niagara Falls Cultural Richard Cavendish remembers how the daredevil Jean-François Gravelet stunned the world on June 30th, 1859. Jean-François Gravelet was the most spectacular funambulist, or tightrope-walker, of his day or probably any other day. Born in 1824, he was the son of a veteran of the Grande Armée who was nicknamed ‘Blondin’ for his fair hair.

The family lived at Hesdin in the Pas de Calais and when a circus came to town the little boy was so fascinated by the tightrope-walkers that he decided to be one himself and started practising immediately using his father’s fishing-rod as a pole. His parents sent him for training as an acrobat at the celebrated École de Gymnase in Lyons. He made his first professional appearance as ‘The Little Wonder’ at the age of five and later adopted his father’s nickname. Blondin’s first crossing of the Niagara Falls, in 1859, was the most famous feat in a life packed with them and like all the others was painstakingly prepared, organised and exploited for maximum publicity. He took care to enlist the support of the Niagara Falls Gazette which at first thought it was a hoax and then decided he was mad but went along anyway. Newspapers all over the country were soon interested. The rival Niagara Mail was sarcastic in its coverage and the New York Times said Blondin was a fool who ought to be arrested, but posters and handbills boosted the excitement. The railway companies laid on special trains and thousands of spectators assembled to watch.

The tightrope was taken across the river in a rowing boat. More than three inches (7.5cm) thick, it sagged by some 60 feet (18m) in the middle, so it had a steep slope. The distance was a little over 1,000 feet (305m). Blondin offered to carry a volunteer over on his back but, unsurprisingly, no one stood forward. Bands on both banks played as he began his crossing at 5.15pm and took his time over what he privately considered an easy task. He stopped and lay down for a rest at one point and stood on one leg for a while. The crossing took him a little over 17 minutes. After a pause he went back across on the rope, much faster this time. He was cheered to the echo and the feat was reported all over America and in Europe. In several later crossings Blondin introduced variations. He carried his top-hatted manager across on his back, crossed blindfolded or on stilts or in a gorilla costume and pushing a wheelbarrow.

One of the wonders of the age, he built himself Niagara House in the London suburb of Ealing in 1889 and died there of diabetes in 1897, days before his 73rd birthday. He lies buried in Kensal Green Cemetery. Neighbouring streets in Ealing, Blondin Avenue and Niagara Avenue, preserve his memory and there’s a Blondin Street in Bow. What is �trust?� [Prov. 3:5] To understand this verse, we must understand the fundamental difference between �believe� and �trust.� How many of you have heard of Jean-Francois Gravelet? He was born in France on Feb. 28, 1824. He died in London on Feb. 22, 1897. He is better known as Charles Blondin. Blondin was a funambulist? Funambulist means tightrope walker.

Charles Blondin was the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope, a 3� hemp rope, 1,100 feet long In 1859 and 1860 he walked across it 160 feet above the Niagara River, just below the falls, several times, each time with a different, daring feat: dressed in a sack, walking on stilts, pushing a wheelbarrow full of potatoes, riding a bicycle. One time he stopped in mid-section and cooked an omelet on a small portable stove. If you stood in the crowd and he came up to you with his wheelbarrow and asked, �Do you believe that I can push you across in this?� undoubtedly you would say �Yes.� What would your answer be if he then said, �Get in?� That�s a different story! Many, many people believe in the Lord Jesus. I dare say virtually all of you do. But many fewer people trust the Lord, are willing to �get in the wheelbarrow.� �Trust in the Lord� means to be fully confident or sure; to be bold in action.

�with all your heart� means with the center of your being, at the deepest level, fully and completely. [General authentication on Blondin: New York Times, 7/18/1859, p.3] Sermon Illustration Library copyright © 2006-2017 by Scott Severance ( contact ). All rights reserved. All illustrations are copyrighted by their respective owners. Bad Behavior has blocked 1649 access attempt(s) in the last 30 days. 10 May 2012 / 0 Comments / in Blog /by niagarafalls So maybe all this publicity Nik Wallenda and his Niagara Falls tightrope walk has got you thinking about attempting your own walk. Well, stop right there! First off, it’s not as easy as it looks (serious?) to walk across Niagara Falls and besides, you won’t be getting permission to attempt it as walks have been limited to a once-in-a-lifetime 20 year time span. If you are still dead set on tightrope walking Niagara Falls, here are some tips and facts that might help you prepare. We will be keeping a spot open for you at the Niagara Daredevil Exhibit !

The Great Blondin (real name Jean-François Gravelet) was the first tightrope walker to cross Niagara Falls on 30 June 1859. The wire Nik Wallenda will attempt his Niagara crossing will be 6 cm thick. The wire Nik Wallenda will attempt his Niagara crossing will be 550 meters. (A Football field is 110 meters!) A tightrope walker can also be called a “Funambulist”. Nik Wallenda is the Guinness Book of World Records holder for longest and highest distance on a highwire while riding a bicycle. Tightwire-walkers typically perform in very thin and flexible, leather-soled slippers with a full length suede or leather sole to protect the feet from abrasions and bruises while still allowing the foot to curve around the wire. The fastest tightrope walk over 100 m is 44.63 seconds and was achieved by Aisikaier Wubulikasimu (China) at Taimu Mountain Scenic Spot, Fuding City, Fujian province, China, on 27 October 2009. Get up-to-date information, coupons and more from the Niagara IMAX Theatre & Daredevil Exhibit.

Name* The Daredevil of Niagara Falls | History | Smithsonian Contact Privacy Policy Terms of Use The Daredevil of Niagara Falls Charles Blondin understood the appeal of the morbid to the masses, and reveled when gamblers took bets on whether he would plunge to a watery death. 'Blondin's rope ascension over Niagara River' by George Barker (Wikimedia Commons) smithsonian.com October 18, 2011 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation permitting Nik Wallenda —self-proclaimed “King of the High Wire” and descendant of the legendary Flying Wallendas—to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Wallenda plans to run a cable, two inches thick and 2200 feet long, between two cranes raised 13 feet from the ground. To train, he will take wire walks over water near his Florida home while a caravan of airboats swarm around him, blasting winds up to 78 miles per hour to approximate the winds and spray of the falls. For the real thing, a rescue helicopter will hover nearby. “Worse-case scenario,” Wallenda said, “I sit down on the wire, the helicopter swoops in, I hook on and they get me out of there.

I look goofy, but nobody gets hurt.” Related Content America's 19th Century Highway: The River History’s most famous tightrope walker (or “ropedancer” or “funambulist,” in 19th century parlance) performed without the luxury of such assurances. During the winter of 1858, a 34-year-old French acrobat named Jean François Gravelet, better known as Monsieur Charles Blondin, traveled to Niagara Falls hoping to become the first person to cross the “boiling cataract.” Noting the masses of ice and snow on either bank and the violent whirls of wind circling the gorge, Blondin delayed the grand event until he would have better weather. He always worked without a net, believing that preparing for disaster only made one more likely to occur. A rope 1,300 feet long, two inches in diameter and made entirely of hemp would be the sole thing separating him from the roiling waters below. Blondin, born in 1824, grew to be only five feet five and 140 pounds; he had bright blue eyes and golden hair (which gave him his nickname).

He believed that a ropewalker was “like a poet, born and not made,” and discovered his calling at the age of four, mounting a rope strung between two chairs placed a few feet apart. The following year he enrolled at the École de Gymnase in Lyon. He first came to America in 1855 at the behest of theatrical agent William Niblo and was about to begin an engagement with Franconi’s Equestrian Troop when the idea struck to cross the falls. “He was more like a fantastic sprite than a human being,” wrote his manager, Harry Colcord. “Had he lived a century or two earlier he would have been treated as one possessed of a devil…. He could walk the rope as a bird cleaves to air.” Blondin also understood the appeal of the morbid to the masses, and reveled when gamblers began to take bets on whether he would plunge to a watery death.

(Most of the smart money said yes.) On the morning of June 30, 1859, about 25,000 thrill-seekers arrived by train and steamer and dispersed on the American or Canadian side of the falls, the latter said to have the better view. Both banks grew “fairly black” with swarms of spectators, among them statesmen, judges, clerics, generals, members of Congress, capitalists, artists, newspaper editors, professors, debutantes, salesmen and hucksters. Vendors hawked everything from lemonade to whiskey, and Colcord gave tours to the press, explaining the logistics of what the Great Blondin was about to attempt. Blondin with his balancing pole. From "Blondin: His Life and Performances." A light rope, not even an inch thick, had been attached to one end of his hempen cable so it could be conveyed across the Niagara River . On the American side the cable was wound around the trunk of an oak tree in White’s Pleasure Grounds, but securing it on the Canadian side presented a problem.

Blondin’s assistants feared that the light rope wouldn’t bear the weight of the cable as it was drawn up the gorge for anchorage in Canada, but the rope dancer, to the delight of his audience, executed a daring solution. After tying another rope around his waist, he rappelled 200 feet on the small rope, attached the second rope to the end of the cable, and then blithely climbed back to Canadian ground and secured the cable to a rock. To prevent swaying, guy ropes ran from the cable at 20-foot intervals to posts on both banks, creating the effect of a massive spider web. Blondin could do nothing, however, about the inevitable sag in its center, approximately 50 feet of cable to which it was impossible to fasten guy ropes. At that spot, in the middle of his crossing, he would be only 190 feet above the gorge. “There were hundreds of people examining the rope,” reported one witness, “and, with scarcely an exception, they all declared the inability of M.

Blondin to perform the feat, the incapacity of the rope to sustain him, and that he deserved to be dashed to atoms for his desperate fool-hardiness.” Shortly before 5 p.m., Blondin took his position on the American side, dressed in pink tights bedecked with spangles. The lowering sun made him appear as if clothed in light. He wore fine leather shoes with soft soles and brandished a balancing pole made of ash, 26 feet long and weighing nearly 50 pounds. Slowly, calmly, he started to walk. “His gait,” one man noted, “was very like the walk of some barnyard cock.” Children clung to their mothers’ legs; women peeked from behind their parasols. Several onlookers fainted. About a third of the way across, Blondin shocked the crowd by sitting down on his cable and calling for the Maid of the Mist, the famed tourist vessel, to anchor momentarily beneath him. He cast down a line and hauled up a bottle of wine. He drank and started off again, breaking into a run after he passed the sagging center. While the band played “Home, Sweet Home,” Blondin reached Canada.

One man helped pull him ashore and exclaimed, “I wouldn’t look at anything like that again for a million dollars.” After 20 minutes of rest Blondin began the journey to the other side, this time with a Daguerreotype camera strapped to his back. He advanced 200 feet, affixed his balancing pole to the cable, untied his load, adjusted it in front of him and snapped a likeness of the crowd along the American side. Then he hoisted the camera back into place and continued on his way. The entire walk from bank to bank to bank took 23 minutes, and Blondin immediately announced an encore performance to take place on the Fourth of July. Blondin and his camera, as rendered in "Blondin: His Life and Performances." Not everyone admired Blondin’s feat.

The New York Times condemned “such reckless and aimless exposure of life” and the “thoughtless people” who enjoyed “looking at a fellow creature in deadly peril.” Mark Twain later dismissed Blondin as “that adventurous ass.” One indignant resident of Niagara Falls insisted that he was a hoax, that there was “no such person in the world.” Nevertheless, on July 4, Blondin appeared at the American end of the cable, this time without his balancing pole. Halfway across, he lay down on the cable, flipped himself over, and began walking backward. He stopped again to take a swig from his flask, and then made it safely to the Canadian side. On the journey back he wore a sack over his body, depriving himself of sight. “One can scarcely believe that the feat was indeed real,” wrote one reporter, “and stands gazing upon the slender cord and the awful gulf in a state of utter bewilderment.… I look back upon it as upon a dream.” Blondin and his sack, as rendered in "Blondin: His Life and Performances." Blondin announced subsequent crossings, promising that each would be more daring than the last.

On July 15, with President Millard Fillmore in attendance, Blondin walked backward to Canada and returned to the U.S. pushing a wheelbarrow. Two weeks later, he somersaulted and backflipped his way across, occasionally pausing to dangle from the cable by one hand. Shortly after that he made another crossing, and, after a brief rest, appeared on the Canadian end of the cable with Harry Colcord clinging to his back. Blondin gave his manager the following instructions: “Look up, Harry.… you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. Until I clear this place be a part of me, mind, body, and soul. If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do we will both go to our death.” A few of the guy ropes snapped along the way, but they made it. Blondin carrying Harry Colcord across Niagara Falls. From "Blondin: His Life and Performances." He crossed at night, a locomotive headlight affixed to either each of the cable. He crossed with his body in shackles.

He crossed carrying a table and chair, stopping in the middle to try to sit down and prop up his legs. The chair tumbled into the water. Blondin nearly followed but regained his composure. He sat down on the cable and ate a piece of cake, washed down with champagne. In his most famous exploit, he carried a stove and utensils on his back, walked to the center of the cable, started a fire and cooked an omelet. When it was ready, he lowered the breakfast to passengers on deck of the Maid of the Mist . Blondin performed in China, Japan, Australia, India and throughout Europe. He soured on America in 1888 when he was forbidden to perform in Central Park and had to settle instead for St. George in Staten Island. Although he was then 65 years old, he carried his son and another man on his back and made another omelet for the crowd. By the time he gave his final performance, in 1896, it was estimated that Blondin had crossed Niagara Falls 300 times and walked more than 10,000 miles on his rope. He died of complications from diabetes the following year.

In nearly 73 years on this earth, he never had life insurance. No one, he’d always joked, would take the risk. Sources Books: Blondin: His Life and Performances. Edited by G. Linnaeus Banks. London, New York: Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, 1862. Articles: “Blondin, The Hero of Niagara,” by Lloyd Graham. American Heritage, August 1958; “High Above Niagara, a Funambulist Cooked a Well-balanced Breakfast,” by Martin Herbert Kaufman. Sports Illustrated, April 16, 1979; “A Daredevil’s Toughest Challenge,” by Charlie Gillis. Macleans.ca, August 5, 2011; “An Exciting Scene,” New York Times, July 4, 1859; “When Blondin Left America Gasping.” The Hartford Courant, August 1, 1959; “He Walked Across Niagara Falls,” by Bennett Cerf.

Los Angeles Times, June 28, 1959; “Poised Between Life and Death.” Chicago Daily Tribune, February 28, 1897; “A Chat With Blondin.” New York Tribune, August 12, 1888; “Blondin, The Rope Walker.” New York Times, June 5, 1888; “The Experiences of a Rope-Walker.” Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine, November 1888. Like this article? Niagara Falls Stunts & Daredevils: History / History of Niagara Falls Stunting Niagara Falls Stunts & Daredevils: History In February 2012, NPC approved Nik Wallenda’s application to walk a tightrope stretched between the two countries, in recognition of the role that daredevil performances and stunting have played in the rich history and promotion of Niagara Falls. At the same time, the Commission has taken steps to ensure that such feats will not come at the expense of public safety and protecting the natural and cultural heritage that millions of visitors every year enjoy on NPC lands on the Canadian side of the river.

NPC has ruled that it will consider proposals by stunting professionals no more than once in a generation, or approximately once every 20 years, as a way to pay tribute to the stunting history that helped make Niagara Falls a top global tourism destination. The Niagara Parks Commission prohibits stunting on all of its properties under the authority granted under Regulations of the Niagara Parks Act. Stunting now carries a maximum fine of $10,000. Following is a chronology from the mid-1800s to 1951, of attempts to go over the Falls in a barrel or some other device, to go through the Class 6 rapids of the Great Gorge, or to walk across on a tightrope. Some of these stunters were successful, others died in their attempt: Stunters at the Falls ANNIE TAYLOR October 24, 1901 (Survived) Mrs. Annie Taylor, a 63-year-old schoolteacher, decided that a trip over Niagara Falls was her way to fame and fortune. On October 24, 1901, assistants strapped her (along with her cat as seen in this photo) into a special harness in a barrel.

A small boat towed the barrel out into the main stream of the Niagara River and the barrel was cast loose. The rapids first slammed it one way, then the other, then came the drop and a bone-wrenching jar so violent that Mrs. Taylor was sure she hit rocks. Seventeen minutes after the plunge, the barrel had been tossed close enough to the Canadian shore to be hooked and dragged onto the rocks. Mrs. Taylor was dazed but triumphant and being the first person to conquer the mighty Falls of Niagara, she found the fame she sought so desperately. But fortune was a bit more elusive. Twenty years after her brush with death at Niagara, she died destitute. BOBBY LEACH July 25, 1911 (Survived) Bobby Leach, an Englishman, successfully made a trip in an all-steel barrel on July 25, 1911, and then spent 23 weeks in hospital recuperating from numerous fractures and other injuries. Fifteen years later on a lecture tour in New Zealand, he slipped on an orange peel, broke his leg and died of complications from the injury.

CHARLES STEPHENS July 11, 1920 (Died) The next barrel stunter to try the Falls was also an Englishman, Charles Stephens. When his heavy oak barrel hit water after the drop over the Falls on July 11, 1920, Stephens went out the bottom. He was killed and only one arm was recovered. JEAN LUSSIER July 4, 1928 (Survived) Jean Lussier, a native of Quebec, designed a six-foot rubber ball composed of 32 inner tubes and a double-wall steel frame. One of the biggest crowds on record saw the stunt on July 4, 1928. The ball took some hard knocks in the rapids but the skip over the Falls was perfect. About one hour after entering his ball, Lussier stepped ashore none the worse for wear. For many years he displayed his ball at Niagara Falls and sold small pieces of the inner tubes for souvenirs at 50 cents a piece.

GEORGE STATHAKIS July 4, 1931 (Died) On July 4th, 1931, George Stathakis, a Greek chef from Buffalo, went over the Falls in a 2,000-pound contraption of wood and steel. He survived the plunge over the Falls only to die after becoming trapped behind the curtain of water for 22 hours. He had enough oxygen for only three hours. RED HILL JR. August 6, 1951 (Died) In the summer of 1951, Red Hill Jr. planned to go over the Falls in a flimsy contrivance he called the “Thing” that consisted of 13 inner tubes held together with fish net and canvas straps. On August 6, Hill and the “Thing” headed into the rapids. It was tossed into the air, upended, thrown from side to side and bounced off rocks. It was starting to disintegrate even before it reached the Falls. When the drop came, the “Thing” disappeared into churning water at the base of the Falls. Seconds later what was left floated into view.

The following day, Hill’s battered body was taken from the river. Stunters at the Niagara River Rapids CAPTAIN JOEL E ROBINSON – Boater (Survived) When the second Maid of the Mist was sold by auction, on June 6, 1861, Captain Joel E. Robinson agreed to take the boat through the rapids and deliver it to Queenston. They cast off from the dock and headed toward the rapids. They disappeared from sight in the roughest sections of the rapids but somehow survived the jagged rocks and came safely to the dock at Queenston. CAPTAIN MATTHEW WEBB – Swimmer (Died) Captain Webb was the first man to swim the English Channel and he decided to swim the Niagara River. He dove in July 2, 1883 and soon disappeared in the first huge wave of the rapids. Webb’s body was recovered four days later down river near Lewiston, New York. CARLISLE D.

GRAHAM – Barrel Rider (Survived) On July 11, 1886, Carlisle Graham was the first daredevil to navigate the Whirlpool Rapids without mishap, in a seven-foot hand-made oak barrel. Graham made three more successful trips after that. WILLIAM KENDALL – Swimmer (Survived) William Kendall, a policeman from Boston, with the help of a good life preserver, successfully made the swim through the rapids on August 22, 1886. GEORGE POTTS/WILLIAM HAZLETT – Barrel Riders (Survived) One month later, these two made the first double trip through the rapids in a barrel on August 8, 1886. CHARLES A. PERCY - Boater (Survived) An experienced river man designed a special seventeen-foot boat with floatation tanks fore and aft. He made his first trip on August 28, 1887 and two more successful trips, one of them with William Dittrick as a passenger. On the third trip he lost his boat.

ROBERT FLACK - Boater (Died) On July 4, 1888, Robert Flack, in a boat named “Phantom” filled with a buoyant filling of excelsior and wood shavings, drowned when the boat overturned and stayed upside down while it was pulled around and around in the Whirlpool. PETER NISSEN - Boater (Survived) In his boat “The Fool Killer”, the smallest steamboat afloat, Peter Nissen made the trip October 12, 1901 without a head of steam as the smokestack was carried away. Nissen survived and his claim to fame was that his stunt was the first to be recorded on movie film. The Edison Movie Co. filmed the event. Tightrope Walkers over the Niagara Gorge JEAN FRANCOIS GRAVELET (THE GREAT BLONDIN) Professionally known as “The Great Blondin”, Gravelet was the first of many tightrope walkers to appear at Niagara Falls. He was a professional artist and showman trained in the great tradition of the European circus.

At age 31 he came to America and made the announcement that he would cross the gorge of the Niagara River on a tightrope. On June 30, 1859 the rope was in position and at five o’clock in the afternoon, Blondin started the trip that was to make history. Watchers saw him lower a rope from the tightrope to the Maid of the Mist, pull up a bottle and sit down while he refreshed himself. He began his ascent toward the Canadian shore, paused, steadied the balancing pole and suddenly executed a back somersault. Never content merely to repeat his last performance, Blondin crossed his rope on a bicycle, walked blindfolded, pushed a wheelbarrow, cooked an omelet in the centre and made the trip with his hands and feet manacled. Yet even these stunts failed to satisfy Blondin’s urge to test him. He announced that on August 19 he would cross the gorge carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back. It was to be the supreme test of Blondin’s skill and stamina. According to Colcord, the trip was a nightmare. In the unguyed centre section, the pair swayed violently.

Blondin was fighting for his life. He broke into a desperate run to reach the first guy rope. When he reached it and steadied himself, it broke. Once more the pair swayed alarmingly as Blondin again ran for the next guy. When they reached it Blondin gasped for Colcord to get down. Six times in all Colcord had to dismount while Blondin had to charge the crowd on the brink to prevent the press of people forcing them back in the precipice. He died in England at the age of 73. WILLIAM LEONARD HUNT A resident of Port Hope, Ontario, known as Signor Farini, William Hunt duplicated almost all Blondin’s stunts, but never managed to steal the limelight from Blondin. The Niagara Falls Gazette reported Farini’s September 5, 1860 washing machine stunt, “He strapped an Empire Washing Machine to his back and walked slowly to the desired place in the centre of the rope”. He secured his balancing pole and machine on the cable. He then drew water from the river nearly 200 feet below, in primitive style, with a pail and cord.

Several ladies, desiring to patronize him in his character as a washerwoman, had given him their handkerchiefs to wash. Before long his washing was done, the handkerchiefs wrung out and hung up to dry on the uprights and crossbars of the machine. With the washing flapping in the wind, he adjusted his load and returned. HARRY LESLIE After the 1859 and 1860 performances of Blondin and Farini, there was a lull until June 15, 1865 when Harry Leslie, billed as “The American Blondin”, crossed the Whirlpool Rapids gorge on a rope. ANDREW JENKINS On August 24, 1869 Andrew Jenkins crossed at the same site, riding a velocipede. MARIA SPELTERINA A 23-year-old Italian woman, Maria Spelterina was the only woman to cross the Niagara gorge on a tightrope. In 1867, she walked backwards, put a paper bag over her head, and wore peach baskets on her feet to inject some drama into her crossings.

STEPHEN PEER Stephen Peer of Niagara Falls, Ontario made several crossings, but a few days after his walk on June 25, 1887, his body was found on the rocks below. It was assumed that he had fallen while attempting a night crossing wearing his street shoes. SAMUEL DIXON On September 6, 1890, Dixon, a Toronto photographer, attired in terra cotta coloured tights and black silk trunks and wearing his lucky Civil War cap crossed the gorge on the same cable used by Stephen Peer. He made a number of crossings performing various stunts on the wire. CLIFFORD CALVERLEY On October 12, 1892, a Toronto steeplejack, Clifford Calverley, crossed several times on a 1.9 cm (3/4") steel cable. On one of his crossings he established a record when he made the trip in 6 minutes, 32 ½ seconds. JAMES HARDY James Hardy at 21 years of age was the youngest person to cross the gorge on a wire and made several crossings in July 1896. His performances were the last tightrope walking displays permitted in Niagara Falls.

Charles Blondin Biography - life, family, children, name, death, history, wife, school, son Charles Blondin Biography Charles Blondin Biography French daredevil acrobat Charles Blondin (1824–1897) gained fame as the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. The amazing feat gained Blondin international recognition and helped make him a wealthy entertainer. Using the stage name Charles Blondin, Jean-Francois Gravelet rightly earned the reputation as the greatest "funambulist" of his time. Upon first glance that term would seem to imply fun, but in fact it indicates activities involving great personal risk. Literally translated into English, funambulist means tightrope walker, and Gravelet took that popular performance art form to previously unachieved heights. The future famed tightrope walker and acrobat was born in St. Omer, France, on February 28, 1824. At various times throughout his storied career, Gravelet was billed as "The Great Blondin," "The Daredevel Wire Walker," and "The Prince of Manila," names that are as evocative of a highly specialized skill as they are of an era.

Inspired by Circus Performer Gravelet became interested in high wire acrobatics at a very early age. In 1829, when he was five years old, a circus troupe performed near his home, and Gravelet became enthralled by the tightrope walker. It was the first time he had ever seen anyone attempting such stunts. He was so impressed that he felt compelled to try and accomplish the same kind of feats. Almost immediately after he returned home from the circus, Gravelet erected a makeshift tightrope in his back yard, using two chairs as supporting structures, and tried to master the skill of rope walking. Instead of discouraging this rather risky pursuit, which may have been an understandable reaction, Gravelet's father, who was a gymnast, supported his son's ambitions. That same year he enrolled his son in the Ecole de Gymase, a school focused on physical education that was located in Lyon, France. Gravelet proved to be quite adept, and after only six months of training he made his amateur performance debut. Billed as "The Little Wonder," the future Blondin became a popular attraction, as his performances demonstrated surprising skill and originality. Unfortunately, his early life was marked by tragedy.

When Gravelet was only nine years old, his father passed away. Now an orphan, Gravelet was forced to fend for himself. As such, he turned professional to earn a living. Already exhibiting the sensibilities of a true showman with his precociously dramatic style, the resourceful youngster embarked on a career that would bring him great fame and fortune. Became "Blondin" In 1851 he was recruited by an agent for William Niblo, the famed theatrical promoter, to perform with the Ravel Troupe of family acrobats in the United States at Niblo's Garden. Gravelet then toured America with the troupe that, at one point, performed in New York City, working for P. T. Barnum as part of the world-famous circus impresario's "Greatest Show on Earth." During this period, Gravelet assumed his stage name, Charles Blondin, which he selected, in part, because of his blond hair. During his early years in America, Blondin married his first wife, Charlotte, whom he met in New York. The couple had three children, who were all born while the couple were on tour.

Their first child, Adele, was born in New York. Son Edward was born in Louisiana, while their second daughter, Isis, was born in Ohio. Walked Across Niagara Falls Blondin toured with the Ravel Troupe for several years. In 1858 the itinerary took him to Niagara Falls, located near the United States/Canadian border in upstate New York. Seeing this enormous natural wonder for the first time, he became obsessed with the idea of crossing the gorge on a tightrope. He finally achieved that ambition in 1859, when he became the first person ever to walk a rope across Niagara Falls. It would prove to be the greatest feat of his career, and it garnered him international renown. At first, official roadblocks thwarted his goal. Blondin originally wanted to string his rope to Goat Island, a small island situated in the middle of Niagara Falls in the Niagara River, but he was denied permission. The surrounding community felt that the stunt would somehow demean the Falls' magnificent splendor and reduce the natural attraction to a stage for lowbrow entertainment. In addition, local officials feared the attempt would result in a horrifying accident.

But Blondin was eventually granted permission to string his rope about a mile further downriver from the island, and on June 30, 1859, a crowd of 100,000 people witnessed Blondin's historic feat. For this first attempt, Blondin used a single three-inch hemp cord that was 1,100 feet long and rigged 160 feet above the Falls at one side and 270 feet at the other. After this first successful crossing, Blondin performed the stunt many times throughout the next year. Each time the crowds grew larger, and he employed different and much more dangerous variations. Once he crossed the Falls while blindfolded. On another occasion, he pushed a wheelbarrow across the rope. On August 17, 1859, he crossed the Falls while carrying his manager, Harry Colcord, on his back. On September 14, 1860, he traversed the tightrope while walking on stilts. During other performances he stopped in mid-crossing to do tricks.

Once he carried a small stove on his back, stopped at the middle of the rope and prepared himself an omelet, which he then ate as his amazed audience watched. Another time he balanced a chair on the rope and stood on it. Sometimes he stopped in mid-course to take photographs of the crowd down below. In September of 1860, the Prince of Wales was one of the many witnesses who observed Blondin carrying his assistant, Romain Mouton, on his back. When the Prince was asked if he would like to be carried on Blondin's back for the return journey, he understandably refused. Further, the Prince implored Blondin never to perform such a dangerous stunt again. Blondin, of course, never complied with the request. When making the crossings, Blondin used ropes that measured either 900 or 1,200 feet in length, depending on where the line was situated. During this period of his career, he became known as "the Prince of Manila," because the rope he used was made of Manila hemp. In all, Blondin walked across Niagara Falls 17 times.

In between crossings, Blondin bought a house in the town of Niagara, where he moved with his family. Achieved Fame and Fortune Because of his Niagara Falls crossings, Blondin garnered great fame across the world and became known as "The Great Blondin." A true showman with a flair for the dramatic, and described as likeable and charismatic, he remained a popular performer for his entire life and was fondly remembered after his death. Unsurprisingly, he had a large ego, but that quality only endeared him to others. Because of his feats, he often received personal honors and gifts. His skills also made him a rich man. Following his American high wire triumphs, Blondin became a highly paid attraction and a huge draw. It has been reported that his fee was $500 for a performance, and that during the height of his career he earned nearly half a million dollars a year. Those figures were quite substantial ones for the time. Toured England and Europe Not long after his Niagara Falls accomplishments, Blondin retired to Ealing, England, located near London. Now a rich man, he moved his family into a large home that he christened "Niagara Villa." But he did not remain inactive for long.

In 1861 Blondin honored the request of the Prince of Wales and performed in London at the famous Crystal Palace, where he recreated his various Niagara Falls stunts (e.g., somersaults, walking on stilts) against a painted backdrop of the North American landmark. Throughout that year and the next, he made numerous noteworthy international appearances as he toured the United Kingdom and Europe. He always drew enormous crowds whenever he appeared. Notable engagements included his performances in Scotland, where Blondin stretched the limits of his audacity. During a two-performance stint in Edinburgh in September of 1861, held at the Royal Botanic Garden (then known as the Experimental Gardens), more than 5,000 paying customers nervously watched as Blondin was blindfolded and placed in a canvas sack that reached only to his knees, leaving him free to walk across the tightrope. With his characteristic dramatic style, Blondin faked a few slips as he started out across the rope, which produced collective gasps from the audience far below. When he reached the other side, the relieved audience applauded long and loud. In the second performance he carried a man on his back.

In Glasgow, Blondin made two outdoor appearances, performing on a tightrope stretched across two 70-foot-high masts that were positioned 300 feet apart. The performances drew crowds estimated at 10,000. The United Kingdom tour was also notable for a Liverpool performance that nearly ended in tragedy. Blondin had strapped a lion into a wheelbarrow and had begun pushing it across the tightrope when a guy rope, a supporting structural device, became ensnared around the wheelbarrow. Fortunately the performer and his four-legged assistant were unharmed. In 1862 Blondin returned to the Crystal Palace for 12 performances that netted him a total of 1,200 pounds, a huge sum of money at that time. During this extended engagement, he walked on a tightrope rigged across the center transept at a height of 180 feet above the facility's concrete floor. To make the feat even more dramatic, he pushed his five-year-old daughter Adele in a wheelbarrow, as she dropped rose petals down into the large audience. The press and the public reacted in horror at this risk to the child's well being.

As a result, Britain's home secretary ordered him to refrain from placing her in such danger. Blondin complied, and during subsequent performances he executed his regular repertoire of feats such as cooking an omelet on the high wire, turning somersaults and walking on stilts, all of which were sufficiently dangerous and breathtaking to satisfy the enormous crowds. His appearances caused famed English writer Charles Dickens to comment, "Half of London is here eager for some dreadful accident." Later Career Blondin kept performing into his seventies, and became a living legend on an international scale. Demonstrating that an old performer can indeed learn new tricks, he developed a cycling act on the tightrope. Though he was comfortably settled in his Ealing home, he could still be persuaded to make occasional trips to the United States and Europe. In 1882 he responded to a request to perform in the United States in a series of exhibitions in Staten Island, New York. He made his final appearance in 1896, the year before he died, in Belfast, Ireland. Despite placing himself at great danger throughout his career, Blondin died peacefully in his bed at his Ealing home on February 19, 1897.

He was 75 years old. The cause of death was listed as diabetes. He was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London next to his first wife, Charlotte, who died in 1888, and where his second wife, Katherine, who died in 1901, would also be buried. Honored in Art Besides the accolades and adulation that he received during his career, Blondin was paid tribute by other artistic efforts both during his life and after his death. In the late nineteenth century, German musician and theater manager Rudolf Bial composed the "The Blondin March" in his honor. In 1992 a statue of Blondin was erected on the Lady-wood Middleway ring road in England, near the Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham, where Blondin performed a famous tightrope crossing in 1873. In 1997 the Blondin Community Orchard was planted by the London Borough of Ealing to commemorate the centenary of his death. In the twentieth century, Peruvian playwright Alonso Alegria wrote "Crossing Niagara," based on Blondin's life. The play was staged in several countries before making its U.S.

premiere in New York City at the Folger Theater on February 19, 1981. Periodicals 43-fr | teatime magazine repeat off Bubble Update Required To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin . Download Nik Wallenda continues his family’s risky tradition by preparing to cross the world-famous waterfall between Canada and the U.S. Author Dave Gerow guides us through this once-a-century feat. Text and Photo : Dave Gerow Country:Canada n February 2012, Nik Wallenda received the green light to realize a lifelong dream of walking across Niagara Falls . Later this year, at the age of 33, this funambulist , or tightrope walker , will cross the most powerful waterfall in North America. He will cross the Niagara Falls on a tightrope just two inches thick. Nik is following in cautious footsteps of six generations of Wallendas, who are known professionally as the “Flying Wallendas”. His German-born grandfather, Karl, patriarch of the Flying Wallendas empire inspired Nik. Unfortunately Karl fell to his death during a performance in Puerto Rico in 1978.

Last June Nik successfully accomplished the very same feat that his grandfather did not. Tightrope-walking is in Nik Wallenda’s blood, and what better place to perform than at Niagara Falls, a world-famous tourist attraction whose history is replete with tales of risk-takers and daredevils . Niagara Falls is located on the U.S.-Canadian border , separating the state of New York from the Canadian province of Ontario. It’s loud and is massive: more than 3,000 tons of water flow over the Falls every second. In 1885, Niagara Falls became the first attraction in the United States designated as a state park. It has a reputation of being both a honeymoon hotspot and a mecca for risk-takers. When Nik Wallenda crosses the Falls later this summer, he’ll take his place among the long list of daredevils who have inched their way into the history books at Niagara. The first man to perform the feat remains the most famous: Jean François Gravelet of France, better known as the Great Blondin. On June 30, 1859, Blondin crossed the Niagara on a 1,100-foot-long wire that was only three inches thick.

while the trip only took twenty minutes and made him a legend. But the Great Blondin didn’t stop there. He completed the crossing another sixteen times that year, each time adding some additional element of danger to each crossing. He pushed a wheelbarrow along the tightrope, he walked across blindfolded . He crossed on stilts and on one crossing, he actually carried someone across on his back. Most remarkable of all his antics was the time Blondin carried a small stove with him where he successfully cooked and ate an omelet. Ironically after all those death-defying antics, Blondin eventually met his end two days before his seventy-third birthday due to complications of diabetes. The Great Blondin was the first of many funambulists to traverse the Falls. In 1860, The Great Farini, an American showman inspired by Blondin, carried a wash basin to the middle of his wire, lowered it into the water below, and hauled it back up to wash handkerchiefs given to him by some of his admirers.

On another occasion, he actually lowered himself onto the Maid of the Mist, a boat that takes tourists as close to the waterfall as any sensible person would wish to go, where he drank a glass of wine before climbing back up to his rope and completing his walk. Sadly, his final stunt ended in disappointment when one of his stilts got caught in his tightrope, and he had to be rescued. To be sure, that last voyage was a disappointment for The Great Farini, but at least it wasn’t a tragedy. Niagara has seen its share of stunts take tragic turns. Stephen Peer, who grew up on the Canadian side of the Falls, successfully crossed the river on a tightrope several times. His final recorded attempt was on June 22, 1887, and it was a success. Three days later, however, Peer’s body was found smashed below his wire; it’s generally assumed that he made an unscheduled attempt while drunk on the night of his final crossing. Nik Wallenda’s crossing in 2012 is special as it will be the first time anyone has walked directly over the Falls. In the past, funambulists have strung their ropes downstream , which is a shorter distance.

Wallenda plans to walk 1,800 meters, straight through the dangerously heavy mist that shrouds the Falls. Wallenda will become the first funambulist to take a crack at Niagara in more than a century. The last person to attempt the feat was James Hardy, who successfully crossed the Gorge in 1896. Since then, authorities on the Canadian side have refused to allow anyone to perform stunts for fear of Niagara Falls becoming associated with a carnival atmosphere. The Niagara Parks Commission prefers that Niagara Falls, which attracts about 10 million tourists per year, be known as a natural wonder rather than a venue for stunts. As for now Wallenda was able to obtain special permission from both the Canadian and American authorities to performe the walk. The New York side agreed, however the Canadian side was more reluctant. When the Niagara Parks Commission in Ontario finally gave consent in February, they made it clear that this would be a “once in a generation” event. While a generation may be a long time, Nik Wallenda has opened the door for future daredevils to attempt conquering Niagara Falls.

nom@exemple.com Niagara`s daredevils In February of 2012, Nik Wallenda can finally realize a life long dream of his. He plans to cross Niagara Falls on a 2-inch thick tightrope ! Nik comes from 6 generations of famous tightrope walkers- known as “The Flying Wallendas”. This summer he will continue in his family’s tradition. Niagara Falls separates Canada and the U.S state of New York. It is North America’s most powerful waterfall as well as a famous tourist attraction for families, honeymooners and risk-takers . Many people have crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope. To make the walk more interesting some people have done unimaginable things. For example, one man called, “The Great Bondin”, carried his manager on his back successfully to the other side. Another time, he brought a small stove with him- cooking and eating an omelet as he carefully walked across the falls! So what makes Nik’s dream special? Well, he will attempt to cross 1800 meters across the waterfall, while others in the past have crossed a different section of the falls measuring 1,100 meters.

More importantly, the last person to cross did this in 1896 and since then it has been illegal in both Canada and in the United States. Therefore, Nik will be the first person to attempt this stunt in over 100 years! The authorities say that they will allow this only every 20 years. It seems as though Nik has opened some doors for future tightrope walkers! Comprehension Below you will find text comprehension questions. Read and listen to the text and answer the questions (we recommend you read first and then listen). Index What is another common name for “funambulist”? ? Nik Wallenda will be the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope___________. ? Since The Great Bondin crossed in 1860 ? Since James Hardy in 1896 ? When will Nik most likely realize his dream? ? Sometime between December and March ? Before the end of the year ? Sometime between June and August of this year According to the article, what makes Niagara Falls so famous? ? It’s the most powerful waterfall in North America ? Its reputation for being a popular spot for honeymooners and risk-takers ?

Why did Canadian authorities put a stop to funambulists and other stuntmen? ? to attract tourists to the natural beauty-not for stunts ? to discourage dare-devils and freaks from staying in the area ? What is a synonym for “feat”? ? If Nik crosses successfully, what will be so important about this feat? ? he will have continued his family’s tradition ? he will have crossed on a wire only 2 inches thick ? he will have opened doors for future funambulists ? he will have beat his grandfather’s funambulist record OK

Question: Which funambulist was the first to cross Niagara Falls?
Answer: Charles Blondin